


remember when we used to play

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-07 16:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: Military adviser Krenyk is making sure the Kree training facilities across the galaxy are up to the necessary standards. On one base, an especially talented young recruit catches his eye and he decides to bring her back to court as his protegée. Kasius is horrified by Sinara's manners - or lack thereof.





	1. Chapter 1

The base had been abuzz with excitement since they had been told this morning that General Krenyk would be arriving soon. Sinara was caught up in the general agitation, but she did not know why.

"Who's Krenyk?"she finally asked one of the other recruits at lunch, when she'd come to the conclusion she'd rather take their mockery than whatever might happen if this Krenyk were to realise she did not know who he was. Mockery from her fellow recruits was not something that came infrequently, anyway - she was the youngest in their regiment, one of the few girls on base, and from the poor underclass. Even among the kids that had not been sent here for the honour of it all she was looked down upon. They had been picked up by recruiters in their schools. She had been sold to one passing by when her mother couldn't scrape together the cash to buy food for the family and Sinara had attacked the man who had offered Mother to pay in exchange for something Sinara didn't quite understand, but she had understood Mother's no, she had understood that the man wouldn't take it.

("Feral, that one,"the recruiter had said, as if it would comfort her mother, who was crying inspite her insistance that she'd have a better life if she went with him, as if it would stop Sinara from trying to twist out of his grip. She only went limp when she realised that Mother was already turning to leave. Without her.)

"Who's Krenyk?"one of the boys echoed with unmasked glee. Tyan had taken offense to her very presence since the first day when she had beaten him at target practice."Don't you know anything, you lowborn idiot?"

She looked away to keep herself from snapping. She needed the information; she had to let his taunting wash over her until she got it. They had taught her how to take a beating, they had taught her how to give one. They had not bothered to explain any deeper intricacies to her.

"He's Garron's military adviser." He was speaking unnecessarily loudly now, making sure everyone around them was privy to the commoner's stupid question."You do know who Garron is, don't you?"

"Course I do,"she muttered. No one at home had had the time to waste on politics, but that didn't mean they were completely ignorant. Knowing Krenyk was irrelevant to their lives. Garron not so much."What does he want? General Krenyk?"

Tyan gave a boisterous laugh."What does he want? You think you'd be allowed to know?"

"You don't know either,"said Sinara, fingers digging into her legs to keep herself from punching him."You're just a recruit like me."

"I am nothing like you,"Tyan snarled, and she was inclined to agree. She was better than him in all except family name. Commandant Ukena had said she was top of her regiment, and Commandant Ukena never took wealth into account over merit."Krenyk's making sure we're all up to proper standards. And my uncle says he'll pick someone to join Garron's personal guard."

"That's stupid." The words were out before she could stop them. Well, no point in backing down now."Garron's guard is the absolute elite. They don't need some kid to join them."

A few people around the table snickered, and colour rose in Tyan's cheeks."Well, they certainly have no need of a stupid, filthy little thing like you. So feral not even her mother cared to ke-"

She was across the table before he could finish the sentence, knocking him backwards off the bench. He was bigger than her, but he had not expected the attack, so she got a few good shots in before he could even react at all. Then it turned into a proper brawl, the other recruits crowding around, egging them on, jeering and screaming.

Sinara didn't care about what they were shouting, about what consequences she would have to face. She only cared about inflicting as much damage as she could manage, making her likely stay in the brig worth it. Making Tyan's stupid face so bloody and swollen he couldn't smirk at her for weeks.

"Enough!" The drill instructor's voice brought a thundering silence to the canteen. Sinara froze, hand stopping midway to ramming her fork into Tyan's eye. She stared up at the drill instructor with defiance, quickly replaced by horror when she saw he wasn't alone. The face of the man next to him betrayed nothing, but she could not imagine General Krenyk was pleased with the barbaric display. The drill instructor stepped forward, barking,"Up!"

She followed the order after a split-second of hesitation. Tyan would likely never again give her the chance to have him pinned to the ground with her knees on his shoulders, ready to disfigure that face she hated so much. Still, she hardly had a choice. She spat the blood and a tooth that had come loose out, only missing Tyan's face because he turned his head. He took longer to get to his feet.

"What were you thinking?"he snapped, not getting more than a half-shrug from Sinara in return, nor apparently caring for an explanation, already turning to Krenyk again."I'm so sorry, General. We've had her for four months but she's still as feral as she was the day we got her."

There that word was again. Sinara fought down the urge to jump him, too. The fork was still in her hand.

"How old are you?"Krenyk asked, rather than acknowledging the instructor at all. Sinara looked at him askance, unsure if he was somehow trying to set her up to make things worse for her. She didn't even look at the other recruits, knowing she had no help to expect from them."I'll be nine soon, General."

"And you've had four months of training?"he asked, and she nodded. He gave a small smile. Sinara thought it looked almost kind. Tyan must have hit her in the head harder than she'd thought. Krenyk turned to the drill instructor."Since you don't seem to know what to do with her, I'll be taking the girl off your hands."


	2. Chapter 2

"All packed?"Commandant Ukena asked. Sinara merely nodded. It wasn't as if she had had much to pack in the first place. Not that anyone had yet bothered to tell her just why she was packing her things. Krenyk wanted her out of the training facility, that much she knew. No one had said anything about where she was supposed to go. Ukena being here to accompany her was somewhat reassuring; the commandant had been kind to her for the most part.

Sinara followed Ukena down the hallway, clutching her satchel to her chest. Did they take kids in the mines? Or would they try to make her family take her back, even though they didn't want her?

"There's no reason to pull that face,"said Ukena, eyebrow raised disapprovingly."A great many soldiers would kill to be in your place, you know."

That confused Sinara so much she stopped dead in her tracks."They would?"

"Of course." She could tell from the tone that this was the sort of question that would get her called a _stupid lowborn_ if she'd asked someone else."The chance to go to court -"

"I'm going to court?"Sinara interrupted before remembering she wasn't supposed to do that. She bit her lip."Sorry."

Ukena's features softened slightly at that."No one told you?" When Sinara shook her head, the commandant crouched down to her height, hand lightly touching her shoulder."General Krenyk's taking you back to the capital with him. I don't know his exact plans for you, of course, but it seems you have impressed him."

 _But I'm just a commoner_ , she wanted to protest, but decided against it. Back talk was another thing she was supposed to refrain from. So she just nodded and hoped Krenyk wouldn't change his mind all too soon.

* * *

"Sit,"Krenyk said, and so she sat down. Some guy of the ship's crew had shown her to her room - her room, a whole room just for _her_ \- to put away her things and then taken her to the General's study. She didn't like the chair, though. It was so high that her feet dangled in the air no matter how much she tried to get her toes onto the ground, yet not so high that Krenyk did not still tower over her on the other side of the desk. The chair had been made for an adult, of course, but she resented feeling like a little child, no matter that she was one.

"So." Krenyk was smiling at her kindly and she wanted to jump off the stupidly big chair again to run away. Anyone who had smiled at her at the compound was almost certain not to mean it. She dug her fingers into her leg and did not move. Krenyk leaned a little towards her."You must have some questions?"

Of course she did. She wasn't supposed to ask questions, though, she knew that. He was probably testing her. She shook her head.

He raised an eyebrow at her. Clearly she'd gotten it wrong. Too rude, probably.

"Sorry, sir,"she said."I don't have any questions, sir."

He leaned back in his chair again, some unreadable emotion in his eyes."Very well, then." There was a pause so long she almost burst out with her questions anyway, but then he pulled open one of the drawers on his desk."Have you ever played Malech?"

"No, sir,"Sinara replied. She'd never even heard of the game. Nor did she know why he was suddenly talking about games.

Krenyk placed a board on the desk between them; it was checkered gold and blue, with figures of the same colours in a box he set down next to the board."It's a strategy game. Many pieces with many different roles and you need them all to win." He picked up one of the smallest ones, a blue carving, and held it out for her to see."Even the tiniest piece can make or break it all. If it's put in the right place." He placed it on one square of the board, then reconsidered and moved it to another."It has to be in the right place at the right time, Sinara, do you see?"

"I think so,"she said, very quietly, just in case he hadn't actually meant for her to answer. He had called her by her name, though. She had barely been called her name these last few months. She offered him a timid smile."How does it work? The game?"

He explained it to her. And she did ask questions; not the ones she really wanted to ask, of course, but enough to forget why she had been so frightened to do so.

Krenyk didn't even call her stupid or lowborn once.


End file.
